Fifth Harmony’s Lauren Jauregui tears into Donald Trump following his transgender ban and Charlottesville
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Lauren Jauregui has slammed Donald Trump as “disgusting” following his decision to ban trans people from the military and his reaction to white supremacists marching in Charlottesville.
The star, who came out as bisexual in a powerful open letter to Trump supporters after the election in November, has used her music and words in quick succession to condemn the president.
On Fifth Harmony’s new self-titled album, a track called Bridges stands out as a clear anti-Trump protest song.
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“We’ve come way too far in our stories to build these walls and to blind ourselves,” the superstars sing, adding that “love’s worth fighting for”.
“And I know the world can be cold, we can’t let it divide us”.
The key passage is “we build bridges / Bridges, not walls,” as the band uses the popular line from anti-Trump protests to stand against all of the administration’s divisive policies.
In an interview with Complex, Jauregui said that the song “alludes to everything going on right now and how we feel about it. It’s a really powerful message of positivity.”
She added: “I have a few million followers…if I’ve got all these young people watching me and caring about what I have to say, I should say something important, because I’m so passionate about it”.
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The singer, who picked up Best Pop Video at the MTV VMAs last night with the rest of her bandmates, said she had a responsibility to use her platform and fight back against Trump’s hatred, as demonstrated by his reluctance to condemn Nazis who chanted “f*** you faggots”.
“He’s been inciting these things and instigating them and being indifferent about things that are super important to the way that we treat each other,” Jauregui said.
“We picked him as a leader and when people look at a leader, they look at influence.
“His influence has literally incited neo-Nazism and all of these crazy things that we didn’t think could have a resurgence.
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“We disconnected ourselves so much from history and how immediate it was that we have lost touch with what’s right and what’s wrong.
“We keep talking about: “Wow, this is so crazy that this is happening,” but no no, this is the way it goes. History repeats because we forget and we don’t move forward socially.
“We’re too worried about money and paychecks and advancing those things to focus on who we are as humans.”
Jauregui said that the divisions created by Trump’s administration, for example between trans people and everyone else, were ridiculous.
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“When you really look at science, if two people fall on pavement, they’re both going to break bones because we’re all made up of the same s***,” she said.
“So how is it that we divide ourselves over things as silly as skin tone and gender? How are we being so primitive in this day and age with all the technology and advancements we speak of?”
Following Trump’s announcement that trans people would be banned from serving in the military, Jauregui encouraged her followers to donate to the Transgender Law Centre.
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She wrote that people at the civil rights organisation “work tirelessly to fight for the rights of trans people”.
The star added that “in light of a time when they try to silence and demean these human’s existence, the loudest noise we could make is with love and support.
“Let’s show this administration that the people do not agree with this hateful rhetoric.”
Watch Fifth Harmony’s incredible MTV VMAs performance here:
